A classic example of the Broken Window Fallacy is an argument which states that breaking a window generates income for a glazier, but disregards the fact that the money spent on the new window cannot now be spent on new shoes.

Another example of this fallacy is the argument for redistribution of wealth, or taxing those in higher income brackets more heavily in order to give to people who work less skilled jobs or don’t work as many hours.

The net effect of this is lost opportunity. Had those in the higher income brackets been taxed at a more fair, flat rate, they could have invested that saved tax money in businesses and created more jobs (an unseen benefit), but instead, their money is being stolen for the immediate seen benefit of handing out money to those in a lower income bracket.

While this will foster more spending (consumerism), it will not directly foster more value creation. It only recirculates the current wealth.

What fosters creation of value in the economy is hard work, not paper handouts.

While at first glance robbing the rich and giving to the poor might seem like the most caring approach to managing the economy, in the long run, it actually hurts jobs – and consequently hurts everyone.

How?

The lower wage earners have little incentive to work more – as they’ll get paid extra anyway – and the higher wage earners have less incentive to work more – because their money is going to get stolen anyway.

Their hard-earned money is going to be spent on people who want to work less rather than on jobs for people who want to work more and create new value.

This discourages everyone from working hard and creating value.

This wealth distribution externalizes a price onto higher wage earners. While redistributing the wealth may temporarily “fix” things – stimulating spending in the economy by the lower income bracket – in the long run, it damages the job creators of the economy – the “rich people”. Like them or not, they are our friends when it comes to helping the economy – if we’ll stop trying to rob them. If we hurt them, we hurt ourselves.

(Note: I am writing this as someone who is currently in a very low income bracket.)

Also, please note: I am not saying that it’s wrong to ever give to those in need. But the choice of where our money is allotted should be largely our prerogative. Why? Because we want to be assured that we are giving to someone who wants to work hard (has a good work ethic) and/or is in need, disabled, or otherwise preoccupied in serving family/community, and not someone who is perfectly capable of working more but isn’t really trying.

We want to be reasonably assured that our money is being entrusted to diligent and/or truly needy hands, rather than squandered on some lazy kid’s newest toy.

In this example, taxing “rich people” to give to the poor is breaking the window to “create money” for the window fitter.

But we had to destroy to create. We disregarded the fact that now the rich person can’t spend as much money on job creation (new shoes).

Example: A fair die landed on six five times in a row because it landed on one five times in a row previously.

]]>21450Fallacy of the Single Cause (Causal Oversimplification)https://reflectioncube.com/2018/08/20/fallacy-of-the-single-cause-causal-oversimplification/
Mon, 20 Aug 2018 23:48:07 +0000https://reflectioncube.com/?p=21446It is assumed that there is one, simple cause of an outcome when, in reality, that outcome may have been caused by a number of only jointly sufficient causes.

It’s unlikely that 4-5 long work days/week alone would leave Joey chronically exhausted. His job was more likely the tipping point, which triggered the manifestation of an already-growing problem beneath the surface due to poor diet, genetics, environment, etc.

(To learn more about my battle with Lyme Disease and follow my journey to recovery, subscribe tomy new blog, HealthHobo.com.)

Definition of Post Hoc: Assuming that because B comes after A, A caused B.

Example:

I dreamed I had a cold, and two days later, I came down with one. Therefore, my dream caused the cold.

]]>21376A Sign of Cultural Collapsehttps://reflectioncube.com/2018/08/04/a-sign-of-cultural-collapse/
Sat, 04 Aug 2018 12:30:53 +0000https://reflectioncube.com/?p=21018
]]>21018Ecological Fallacyhttps://reflectioncube.com/2018/08/04/ecological-fallacy/
Sat, 04 Aug 2018 03:18:40 +0000https://reflectioncube.com/?p=20120Inferences about the nature of individuals are solely based on the aggregate statistics collected for the group to which those individuals belong.

Between health issues, blog transitions, and life, it’s been a challenge.

I just moved Reflection Cube and The Bleeding Blogger from WordPress.com to WordPress.org. This change required me to obtain my own hosting plan directly and essentially get my hands more dirty. This slight decrease in convenience is worth the greater freedom and flexibility afforded with the free WordPress.org software. Although the hosting transition has been completed, I’m still working on polishing the new setup for my sites.

And…I just found out I have Lyme Disease. Perhaps this new discovery is a good excuse to start a blog specifically devoted to the health arena.

For quite some time, I’ve been wanting to start a health-focused blog, and make Reflection Cube more, well…reflective.

Since my health journey is a huge part of my life, I anticipate that its colors will still manifest from time to time in my writing on RC. But for lots of nitty-gritty health and research details, as well as natural beauty tips, recipes, and more, I suggest you follow the Hobo. I’ve added much of my health-related content from RC over there as well. HH is still in the baby stages, but I don’t expect it to stay there for long.

Back on the home base of Reflection Cube, I intend to return to our logic series soon (and probably random other things that pop into my head, as usual.). If there’s a specific logical fallacy (or another topic) you’d be interested in seeing me write about, let me know.

Also check out my other blog – The Bleeding Blogger– where I share about topics related to the Christian faith and evidence, as well as encouraging thoughts and quotes.

<3

Kate

]]>https://reflectioncube.com/2018/08/02/life-lyme-and-logic-an-update/feed/221317Several Possible Reasons For Food Intolerancehttps://reflectioncube.com/2018/07/16/several-possible-reasons-for-food-intolerance/
Tue, 17 Jul 2018 02:34:30 +0000https://reflectioncube.com/?p=21020It is possible for multiple people to be sensitive to the same food for many different reasons. Here, we’ll look at some foods to which people are commonly sensitive and/or allergic, and examine some of the possible explanations for their adverse reactions.

Although it’s very tempting for me to explore a lot of these topics in more depth with you guys, I want to keep it short and simple here. If you or a loved one is sensitive to several foods and unsure of the common thread(s) or factor(s), hopefully you will find this quick list helpful in your sleuthing – a resource of possibilities to research and test.

Dairy

A person could be sensitive to dairy for any of the following reasons (please note: this – and all subsequent lists – are not necessarily comprehensive):

Beans

Lectin sensitivity

Sulfur sensitivity

Phytic acid

Most (if not all) of the above reasons for food intolerance are applicable for me. This may not be true for you (hopefully it isn’t), but I am living proof that it is possible to be sensitive to a food for several reasons.

In light of this, I’m still somewhat perplexed as to how I justified trying sheep cheese last week. (I definitely paid for it – skin problems, GI distress, head discomfort, aches.) I still want to try camel milk/cheese, as camel milk is in some ways quite different structurally from other types of milk.

However, although the sheep cheese and some exposure to environmental toxins set me back these past few days (…still recovering from the sheep cheese…), I do seem to be regaining some health in general. I have been able to tolerate some more foods lately.

So there is hope!

For more information on types of food intolerance and potentially problematic foods, check out Legit Excuses for Picky Eaters. It categorizes more by food problem than by food type/group, as I did here.

It should be noted that I omitted several potentially problematic foods here. If you have a question about a food not mentioned here, feel free to ask in the comments. But please also take into account that I am not a doctor, and although I endeavor to provide my readers with accurate information, you follow any and all information presented on this blog and in the comments at your own risk. PLEASE SEE DISCLAIMER.